Long Jump Training is a combination of speed, specific strength requirements,  co-ordination, skill and timing. Plus an innate ability to measure space, time  and distance at high speeds – this is spatial awareness which all elite jumpers possess to differing degrees.

 

Long Jumping is a serial skill and has a lot of  important sub-routines that make up the whole. Certain

sub-routines are critical to the event and coaches must plan and evaluate technical and coaching programmes to develop these qualities.

My new Jumps Website

 

www.longjumping.co.uk

SPEED IS THE KEY:  Current coaching trends in horizontal jumping place the ability to run fast a pre-requisite for any long jumper. You have runway speed and jump speed.  These can be tested at  various venue around the UK. It is impossible to take-off without losing speed in the final 5/6 strides as you prepare to convert your horizontal speed into vertical lift. The jumper must aim to keep speed loss below 10% in order to capitalise on the speed generated on the runway.  So a large part of the long jumpers training programme is specific speed related.

 

The major objective of attaining extra speed brings it’s own problems as the jumper reaches the board. He now has to effect an

efficient take-off action because his take-off foot is only in

contact with the board for about 0.12 to 0.15 of a second!.

 

So a great deal of the training programme is adapting to  these faster approach speeds and being  able to handle the extra

demands that are placed physiologically on the body.

 

SPEED TRAINING  — The Development of Maximal Speed

 

My group of jumpers are sprinter/jumpers not the other way around. We believe in developing maximal sprinting speed as part of the training programme.

All our group are encouraged to run competitively throughout the winter indoor season over 60mts. In season some of them run over 100mts.

The development of maximal speed will have a direct bearing in finding that optimal speed required for the runway.

The transfer of this maximal speed to the runway is very positive. As well as developing maximal speed the jumpers must learn to run technically efficient.

Good head position, low shoulders, dynamic arm drive, high hips, good knee lift, good extension of the driving leg. This is encouraged throughout the training programme.

If a jumper can not run effectively on the runway then longer jump distances will simply not happen.

 

One example of such a maximal speed session is:

 

Competitive Season   [JUNE]

 

Section A

 

¨ 3 x 30mts with 5 minutes recovery between reps

¨ 3 x 40mts with 5 minutes recovery

 

NOTE:- one of each set is done on its own but the other two with a partner[s] of similar ability

 

Section B

 

‘Flying runs’ from a 10 metre roll on

 

2 x 50mts with 5 minutes recovery

2 x 40mts with 5 minutes recovery

1 x 30mts

 

 

 

NOTE:  At take-off the legs contribute 70-75% lift whilst the arms contribute the rest. The arm drive opposite the free-leg drive contributes approximately 25% of arm drive. So in your short sprint sessions encourage this controlled, aggressive arm drive.